Your Sweet Love
by Diamondinsanity
Summary: What if the monks had created the key not in the form of Buffy's sister, but in the form of Spike's daughter? Spuffy. Part of the What if Collection.
1. I'm Not Staying With Her

**Disclaimers: I own nothing. All characters and places and some plot lines and all that other jazz belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
Pairing: I cannot believe I am about to say this... Spuffy... This is a one time only thing though, people. After this, I go back to writing Spillow.  
  
Spoilers: Up to season 5, I guess...  
  
Summery: Instead of sending the key to Buffy in the form of her sister, it was sent in the form of Spike and Drusilla's daughter. But with Drusilla gone, Spike's raising his daughter by himself. And wasn't the key supposed to be protected by people who loved her?  
  
Author's notes: Spike doesn't live in a crypt. He still has money from when he was human, and then from other places we probably don't want to know about. Spike doesn't have a crush on Buffy. Yet. Set right after Buffy VS Dracula, you know, when Dawn is introduced.**

* * *

When the monks decided to send the key to the slayer in human form, they decided that the best way would be to send it to someone who would make sure the key was loved. They also decided that the key would be safest guarded by a slayer and a vampire. They took the blood of the slayer, and mixed it with the blood of two of the world's greatest vampires, and then sent it to Sunnydale. The key became Dawn Crawford, the only known human child of two vampires. What the monks failed to overlook, was the fact that the vampire wouldn't be able to protect the child because of a chip in his head. Nor did they predict that the slayer would hate the vampire. Still, the key was safe, even though she had lost her mother years before and now lived with her father, and occasionally various minions.

* * *

"Mom?" Buffy asked as she walked into her mother's house. "Are you here?" She called as she closed the door behind her. In the distance, she could hear voices speaking. "Mom?" She called again.  
  
Suddenly, Joyce Summers poked her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, Buffy, you're here." She said happily. "Can you come in here, for a moment, please?"  
  
Confused, Buffy nodded, and walked into the kitchen where she saw a girl with long brown hair sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate. "What are you doing here, Dawn?" She asked the fourteen year old coldly.  
  
"Buffy." Joyce chided.  
  
Buffy glared at the girl. "Daddy!" Dawn said melodramatically.

"In a minute, Bit." Her father said as he continued his conversation with Joyce.  
  
"Spike?" Buffy groaned as she walked over to her mother and the blonde vampire. "What is she doing here? Not to mention what are you doing here, talking to my mother?" She crossed her arms angrily.  
  
"Buffy." Joyce scolded her daughter once again.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "Can you help me then, Joyce?" He asked completely ignoring Buffy's presence.  
  
"Of course, Spike." Joyce smiled at him. "How long are you going to be gone?"  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. _'What are they talking about?'_  
  
Spike shrugged. "Only about a week or so." He said.  
  
Joyce nodded. "And she has her stuff with her?" Spike nodded. "Good. We'll take good care of her for you, Spike."  
  
"What!" Both Buffy and Dawn asked.  
  
Spike looked at Dawn, who had left her seat at the table and was now standing in front of him. "Baby," He said kneeling in front of her. "I have to go to LA for a couple of days." He explained.  
  
"But can't I go with you?" She pouted, and then lowered her voice. "Don't make me stay with her." She looked pointedly at Buffy who glared at her.  
  
"Dawn." He said warningly.  
  
"Daddy." She whined again. "I'd rather see Grandpa Angel then stay with Buffy for a week. The Old Poof is better than her." She complained.  
  
Joyce stifled a laugh, while Buffy glared at Dawn. Spike however, smiled at his daughter. "I know, Nibblet, but I have some business to take care of in LA. Business that doesn't involve you."  
  
Dawn pouted at her father. "Please?" She asked pouting again.  
  
Spike shook his head, again. "No. Go get your stuff out of the car." Dawn nodded, knowing she wasn't going to win. Silently she walked out to the car. While Dawn left, Joyce quietly slipped out of the room.  
  
"You aren't seriously going to leave her here Spike!" Buffy yelled.  
  
Spike rolled his eyes. "What do you expect me to take her with me to LA?"

"Why not?"  
  
Spike sighed. He was going to have to tell her why he was going to LA. "Slayer, one of Angel's sources spotted Dru in LA." Buffy looked at Spike confused. "He said Dru was goin' around talking about a daughter and saying how they were going to take over the world, and paint it red." Spike shuddered.  
  
"You don't think she was talking about-" Buffy stopped as Dawn walked into the kitchen carrying her bags. Suddenly, Joyce was back in the room, and led Dawn upstairs. Once Buffy was sure they were gone she lowered her voice. "You don't think she was talking about Dawn, do you?" She asked noting the fear in Spike's eyes.  
  
"Don't know. That's what I'm going to find out." Spike told her.  
  
Buffy nodded.  
  
"Just make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Spike told her. He turned to walk out the door, but stopped. "Please, Buffy." He pleaded using her real name for once. _'Wow, he really does love his daughter. That's so sweet. Wait. Sweet? Since when is Spike sweet?'  
  
_Before Buffy could reflect on her thoughts any further, Dawn ran back into the room and wrapped her arms around Spike's neck. "Please don't make me stay here too long." She begged. "Come back soon." She whispered into his ear. Spike nodded and stepped away from his daughter.  
  
"Don't cause to much trouble, Dawn. And remember to-"  
  
"Mix blood in with my orange juice in the morning. I know Dad." She rolled her eyes at Buffy's grossed out look. "What?" She asked her. "I am part vampire you know." She told Buffy. She looked pleadingly at her father. "Please come back from the poof's soon."  
  
"Dawn, don't call Angel that." Buffy complained as Spike shook his head.  
  
Spike swept his daughter back into his arms and kissed her gently on her cheek. "It won't be too bad, pet. And remember, Clem's gonna be back in town on Tuesday."  
  
Dawn smiled. "Really?" She asked as her father pulled away from her.  
  
He nodded and then walked towards the door. "Remember, Slayer," He said as he turned around to face Buffy. "She dies, you die. I don't even care about the pain in my chip, it will be nothing compared to the pain I will put you through."  
  
Buffy nodded in understanding. For once Spike threatening her didn't bother her. She realized how much Spike loved his daughter and she figured that if she had a son or a daughter, she would act the same way Spike did. She sighed and turned towards Dawn. _'It' gonna be a long week.' _Buffy mused as a wicked gleam filled Dawn's eyes. _'A very long week.'_  
**

* * *

Well? What do you think? Please review. Comments, opinions and ideas are welcome, but please keep your flames to yourselves. **


	2. I'm Not In Love

**Thank you for all the reveiws! You make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Oh, and to those who asked, no Buffy doesn't know that she's at least technically one of Dawn's moms. The monks made Dawn with the blood of Spike, Drusilla and Buffy. As far as Buffy and Spike know, Dawn is only Spike and Dru's daughter. Did that help? Oh, and keep reading and reveiwing please!**

* * *

As soon as Dawn was sure that her father was gone, she smiled mischievously at Buffy. Dawn was acutely aware of the fear that had seeped into Buffy's eyes. This new information only caused Dawn's smile to grow. Silently Dawn watched as Buffy walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Patiently, Dawn waited until Buffy had put the bottle of water to her lips before she spoke.  
  
"So, how long have you been in love with my dad?" Dawn asked bluntly.  
  
Water sprayed all over the kitchen. "W-what?" Buffy coughed as Dawn's words hit her.  
  
"Ew." Dawn complained as she wiped at some of the water Buffy had spit out onto her new shirt.  
  
"Dawn," Buffy said still reeling from shock. "What makes you think that I'm in love with your dad?" The slayer still couldn't believe that Dawn had just asked her this. _'I knew there was a reason that I hated her.'_ She mused.  
  
Dawn shrugged. "It's so obvious." The teen sat down at the kitchen table as she spoke.  
  
Buffy shook her head as she sat down opposite of Dawn at the table. "Dawnie, I'm not in love with your Dad." Buffy said slowly.  
  
Dawn shook her head. "Then explain to me why you threw a fit about me staying here, but then stopped after Daddy 'talked' to you." Dawn made air quotes as she said talked.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Dawn, he was just explaining to me why he needed to visit Angel."  
  
Dawn looked at Buffy like she was stupid. "Fine, don't tell me that you're in love with my dad." She said coolly.  
  
"Dawn, I would never tell you that I was in love with your dad." Buffy began, but stopped as she saw the smug look that had spread across Dawn's face. A little confused, Buffy replayed what she had just said. "Dawn Crawford!" Buffy yelled.  
  
As soon as Dawn saw the evident rage in Buffy's voice, she jumped up from the table and ran straight into Joyce. "Um, hi Joyce." Dawn said quickly. "I was just gonna go upstairs and finish my homework." Startled, Joyce watched as the young teen flew past her and ran up the stairs towards the guest room.  
  
Still bewildered, Joyce started towards the kitchen, but stopped as an angry looking Buffy came out of the kitchen. "Buffy, honey, what happened?" Joyce asked concerned.  
  
Buffy threw her hands up in the air. "Dawn has this crazy theory that I'm in love with Spike."  
  
"Is it so crazy, Buffy?" Joyce asked calmly.  
  
Buffy stared at her mother in shock. "Mom, you don't really agree with Dawn and think that I'm on love with Spike, do you?"  
  
Joyce shrugged. "I'm not saying that, sweetheart. All I'm saying is that Spike's a very nice and handsome young man."  
  
"No, he's not, Mom." Buffy insisted. "He's not nice. Remember Parent teacher Night?"  
  
Joyce shrugged. "That was a long time ago, people change, Buffy."  
  
"But he's not people, mom. He's a hundred year old vampire. And he can still remember what the Industrial Revolution was like!" Buffy persisted.  
  
Joyce just smiled at her daughter. "I like how you didn't argue whether or not he was handsome."  
  
"Ah!" Buffy cried in frustration. "I'm going up to my room and when I come back down stairs, hopefully we're no longer living in the Twilight Zone!"  
  
Joyce watched in bewilderment and amusement as Buffy turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs. The mother shrugged and walked into the kitchen. "I think he's very handsome." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, Buffy stormed down the hall towards her bedroom. She stopped at the door to her bedroom and turned to face the guest bedroom. The door was ajar and Buffy silently stuck her head into the bedroom. On the bed sat Dawn sorting through one of the bags she had brought with her. Dawn took out a beautiful porcelain doll and began to brush its hair. Buffy couldn't help herself and decided to talk to Dawn.  
  
"Whatcha doing?" Buffy asked as she walked into the room.  
  
"Did I say you could come in?" Dawn asked coldly. Buffy's face fell and she turned to leave. "Wait." Dawn said as remorse filled her. "Don't leave." She begged silently.  
  
Buffy smiled and nodded. She sat down on the bed next to Dawn. "Who's that?" She asked as she pointed to the doll in Dawn's arms. Dawn smiled almost sadly.  
  
"This is Miss Elizabeth." At Buffy's blank look, she continued. "Mum said that I needed to have a doll like Miss Edith. Some one who would tell me what to do. So she gave me Miss Elizabeth."  
  
Buffy nodded silently. "Did her doll talk to her a lot?" She asked softly.  
  
Dawn shrugged. "I guess. She talked to the stars more." Suddenly Dawn stopped. "Are we actually having a conversation?" She asked surprised.  
  
Buffy shrugged. "Guess you don't hate me as much as you pretend to."  
  
Dawn shook her head. "Naw, can't be that. Promised Joyce I would be nice to you this week."  
  
Buffy shook her head. 'Dawn is so much like Spike sometimes. They both will do just about anything Mom asks them to.' Buffy smiled softly at Dawn. "Must be that then. Simply good acting." She commented.  
  
Dawn nodded, and laid her doll down on the bed. She hated to admit it, but at times, she actually liked Buffy. It was only when she was threatening her father and trying to kill him that she hated him.  
  
Buffy spied a rectangular velvet box in the pile of Dawn's stuff. "What's that?" Buffy asked pointing to it.  
  
"That." Dawn smiled as she saw what Buffy was pointing to. "That's my favorite thing that I have with me." The teen gently picked up the box.  
  
"What's in it?" Buffy asked curiously.  
  
Again, Dawn smiled. Slowly she opened the box to reveal a gorgeous gold necklace laced with diamonds and rubies. "Wow. That's beautiful." Buffy breathed. "Is it real?"  
  
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, Daddy gave it to Mum for Valentine's Day two years ago."  
  
Buffy's brow furrowed. "But why do you have it?"  
  
Suddenly, Dawn snapped the box shut. "Mum didn't like it."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. "How could she not like it? Is she crazy or something?" Dawn raised an eyebrow at Buffy. "Oh, you know what I mean."  
  
Dawn shrugged. "She just liked Grandpa's present better, I guess."  
  
"What did Angelus give her?" Buffy asked curiously. Sometimes, the slayer forgot that Dawn was with them at the factory.  
  
Dawn wrinkled her nose at Buffy's question. "A still warm human heart." She said with a disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Ew." Buffy said as she wrinkled her own nose. "That's gross. I would have much rather preferred Spike's gift."

Dawn nodded sagely. "That's why you two are destined to be together."  
  
Buffy groaned. "Dawn. Will you stop that? I think I like you better when you're pretending to hate me. Will you just give it up already? I'm never getting together with your father." She told Dawn exasperated.  
  
The teenager glared at Buffy. "You are." She insisted. "Because it's all your fault!" She screamed.  
  
Confusion washed over Buffy. "Dawnie, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't call me Dawnie!" She screamed. "You tore my family apart. It was all your fault when Mum left Daddy. You made him taste like ash. It's all your fault." Dawn spat at her.  
  
Now Buffy was completely lost. "Wait, Dawn, what?"  
  
Dawn just glared at Buffy. "Get out." Dawn spat. "Just get out!"  
  
"Dawn." Buffy tried again. The teenager only shook her head and pushed the slayer out of her room.  
  
"What just happened here?" Buffy asked herself.

* * *


	3. I'm Dreaming of You

**Karma: Wow, thank you for all the reviews. :) I feel so loved. :-D Oh, and to answer some questions about Dawn's mentality. I know she seems to be acting young for her age, but all shall be explained shortly, I promise. Love to all. Oh, and just a friendly warning, I don't like Riley, there, you are fair warned all you Riley lovers**.

* * *

Buffy stared in shock at the closed door in front of her. _'Okay, the girl seriously has issues.' _She thought, sighing dramatically. **_'Especially where I'm concerned.' _**Blindly, Buffy groped her way to her bedroom and threw herself onto her bed. "God, Dawn thinks of me as the other woman! To her, I am the woman that caused her parents to break up." She smothered her face into her pillow. _'No wonder she hates me.' _Suddenly Buffy threw the pillow to the side. "Then why does Dawn want me to date Spike?"  
  
Buffy held her head in her hands and thought about what had happened so far today. It seemed like such a long time ago. It seemed like years ago that she was battling Dracula, not a few hours ago. She had been so preoccupied with Spike and Dawn that she hadn't even remembered to call Giles to see what time he needed her for training tomorrow. "It has been a very long day." Buffy was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even hear the phone ring until it stopped and Joyce yelled up at her to answer it.   
  
"Hello?" Buffy asked her mind still reeling from her recent conversation with Dawn.  
  
'Hey, Buffy.'  
  
"Riley. Hi."  
  
'You seemed surprised to hear from me.' Her boyfriend responded.  
  
Buffy blushed. She hadn't even thought of Riley since they left the Count's mansion. "Yeah, I'm just a little preoccupied. I'm vamp sitting."  
  
'Huh?' Riley asked confused.  
  
"Dawn is staying with Mom, and me for the week." Buffy explained.  
  
'Who's Dawn?' Riley asked confused.  
  
"Dawn, Spike's daughter." Buffy clarified rolling her eyes. Riley had seen Dawn at least a dozen times, yet he always seemed to forget who she was.  
  
'Right.' Riley said as he pretended to remember hearing about Dawn. He always remembered who she was. How could he not? She was a byproduct of creatures who in his opinion were disgusting. So every time Buffy brought Dawn up, he would feign innocence. But this time, he screwed up. 'Professor Walsh once wanted to experiment on her.'  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that Walsh knew all along that Spike had a daughter and yet she still planned on using him for her experiments with ADAM?" Buffy asked angrily.  
  
'Buffy, he's only a vampire, it doesn't matter.' As soon as Riley spoke, he immediately regretted his choice of words. 'Buffy.' He said sensing by her silence that she was angry.  
  
"You know what, Riley, I'll talk to you later." Buffy said as she angrily hung up the phone. _'Riley worked with people who purposely stole a father from his daughter. How can I be with someone who knew that Professor Walsh not only separated a family, but who also wanted to experiment on a thirteen year old girl?' _Sighing she threw herself back down onto her bed, and prayed for sleep.

* * *

The ground crunched under the man's feet as he walked through the woods. His platinum blonde hair, and pale skin shone brightly in the darkness while his black clothing helped him blend into the night. Next to him walked a petite woman with blonde flowing hair, and a certain bounce in her step that could only be attributed to love. Suddenly the man stopped, grabbed the woman's hand and began walking in a completely different direction.  
  
"Spike!" The woman said laughing. "Where are we going? If you keep changing your mind, we'll never get there." She pouted slightly at him.  
  
Spike stopped, and turned to face the woman. Smiling softly, he reached up and gently caressed her face with his left hand. "They won't find us Buffy. They can't find us. It has to be special." He explained to her. She smiled up at him, and gently pulled him into a passionate kiss.  
  
"It'll be perfect." She promised him as she pulled away from the kiss, and smiled up at him.  
  
Suddenly the couple was standing in a bedroom. Lit candles were scattered through out the room. A large bed with red silk sheets was in the center of the room. Rose petals were scattered across the bed. Buffy took a step backwards. "Spike, what's going on here?"  
  
He cocked his head to the side and smiled at her. "You said you wanted everything to be perfect, love." He once again gently touched her face. "You will be mine." Spike said lovingly.  
  
Suddenly, Buffy jerked away from him as though she was a different person. "No," She said angrily. "I'll never be yours."  
  
Spike laughed softly at her outburst and took her back into his arms. "Why do you try to fight what is destined to happen?" His voice had a slight mystical tone to it. As Buffy began to struggle against him, he took her face into his hands and pressed his lips to hers. Immediately, Buffy stopped struggling against him and deepened the kiss. It was instinctive to her; as though this was something she did everyday.  
  
Spike pulled his lips away from hers and began to plant kisses along her collarbone. She shivered and suddenly took her hands and gently tilted his face up to look at him. "I love you." Buffy said simply, her voice full of raw emotion. "I love you so damn much." She crushed her lips to his and pushed him towards the bed.  
  
Hands were everywhere. Hot kisses were pressed onto whichever body part was the closest. Clothes were soon strewn in a pile on the floor. Next thing Buffy knew, she was naked on the bed with Spike hovering above her.  
  
"Are you sure about this, love?" He asked her.  
  
She nodded. "Yes, Spike. Make love to me." She pleaded between kisses. "Please."

* * *

Buffy Summers woke up in a cold sweat and her body jerked into a sitting position. "No, no, no." She told herself as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I am not in love with Spike. I can't be."

* * *

Meanwhile in LA, Spike, too, woke up in a cold sweat. "What in the bleeding hell was that?"

* * *


	4. I'm Not Sure

**Thank you for your reviews. Keep em coming. :) Love to all, Karma**

* * *

Annoyingly bright sunlight assaulted Buffy's face as she woke up the next morning. Groaning, she rolled over to see what time it was. The alarm clock next to her bed flashed 9:05 in bothersome bright red digits. She groaned and pulled the covers back over her head. She hadn't slept very well after the dream.  
  
Images from the dream kept flooding back to her. _'Lips of Spike. Lips of Spike.' _The thought normally would have disgusted, but since her dream, that's all she could think about. Before she knew it, all of her other dreams that she had that night were also filled with dreams of Spike. Dreams that normally would have caused Buffy to blush turned into the only things Buffy could concentrate on. Granted, she had only been awake for five minutes, but still he seemed to be the only thing she could think about.  
  
All of a sudden the tantalizing scent of fried bacon wafted up to her room. Suddenly awake, she threw the blanket off of her and ambled down the stairs, still in her yummy sushi pajamas. Too caught up in her fantasies and thoughts to think about anything else, she blindly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table, not even paying attention to who was in the kitchen with her.  
  
"Morning Buffy." A bright voice told her.  
  
Jumping out of her trance, Buffy turned to face Willow who was sitting at the table across from her. "God, Willow, you scared me." Buffy complained. "What are you doing here?" Confusion spread across Buffy's face.  
  
"We're going to the University to register for our classes, remember?" Willow reminded the Slayer. "We're meeting Tara there? And we were kinda supposed to leave five minutes ago?"  
  
Suddenly Buffy remembered. "Oh my God, Wills, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot."  
  
Willow smiled at her best friend. "That's okay. You seem kinda preoccupied."  
  
"She's in love." Joyce supplied. For the first time, Buffy was aware of the fact that her mother was in the kitchen. "Morning, honey." She said brightly as set a plate of food in front of Buffy.  
  
"You're in love?" Willow smiled at her best friend.  
  
"I'm not in love." Buffy insisted as she took a bite of scrambled eggs.  
  
Willow furrowed her brow. "You're not in love with Riley?" The redhead was clearly confused. "I thought for sure you were in love with Riley." She said slowly.  
  
Buffy nearly choked on her eggs. She hadn't even thought of Riley since she hung up the phone last night. Joyce simply smiled knowingly and handed Buffy a glass of water as she began to cough.

Willow however was still thinking of what Buffy had said_. 'She said she wasn't in love with Riley, but she's acting like she's in love. I mean, I said hi three times before she even registered the fact that I was sitting across the table from her, waving my hand in her face. She didn't even notice when Joyce asked her how she slept. She has to be in love. If she's not in love with Riley then who is she in love with?'  
  
_Buffy could see the wheels turning in Willow's head and quickly got up from the table. "You know, I'm gonna go get dressed."  
  
"Oh, Buffy, would you mind waking Dawn up as well? I have to go to the gallery this morning to speak with a client, so I'll need you to watch Dawn this morning." Joyce asked her daughter.  
  
The slayer stared at her mother for a moment. "Are you serious?" She finally asked.  
  
Joyce nodded. "And hurry if you're supposed to leave ten minutes ago."  
  
Buffy sighed in defeat and walked into the living room and up the stairs towards the guest room. As she neared the room, she could hear Dawn's voice. "Yeah, I know, but I can't do anything today. No, me da went out of town." She sighed dramatically. "I'm staying with the bitch me da left me mum for."  
  
Buffy couldn't believe what she was hearing. This wasn't the same girl she had argued with last night. She was a completely different person behind closed doors. Sometimes she had trouble believing Dawn was fourteen. Now she knew Dawn was fourteen, but didn't know what game she was playing at. _'Half the time, Dawn acts like she's eleven, when she's fourteen. The other half, she speaks in an American accent when she's really British. I thought she hated her British accent. That's how she explains always speaking in her perfected American Accent.' _She pressed her ear to the door and listening for a few more moments before deciding she had had enough of Dawn's split personalities. "Dawn?" She asked as she opened the door to the guest bedroom.  
  
"Buffy!" She cried as she tried to cover the mouthpiece of the phone. "Get out!" She waited, but when she saw that Buffy wasn't leaving, she turned her attention back to the person on the phone. "Tommy, I'll have to call ya back. Me da's girlfriend just came in. Yeah, that's the one. And she's only a few years older than me." She gave Buffy a dirty look. "I gotta go, pet." As Dawn hung up the phone, she noticed Buffy's raised eyebrow. "What?"  
  
"Who was that?" Buffy asked still in shock.  
  
"My boyfriend, Tommy." Dawn said slowly.  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No, not Tommy. Who was the person talking to Tommy?"  
  
Dawn looked blankly at Buffy. "What are you talking about?" "You." Buffy explained. As Dawn just stared at her, Buffy decided now was a better time as any to ask her what was going on. "Who was that, Dawn?" She pointed at Dawn. "Yesterday you're all Willowy and spaz-like. And today you're this mini-Spike."  
  
"Get out." Dawn said slowly, but dangerously.  
  
"No, Dawn. Not until you tell me what's going on." Buffy said determined. If some one who had never met Buffy or Dawn had walked into the room at that moment, they would have sworn they walked in on a fight between a mother and a daughter or even a fight between two sisters.  
  
Dawn sighed dramatically. "Fine? Do you really want to know what 's wrong?" Buffy nodded. "I don't know what's wrong, okay? I don't know who I'm supposed to be! Do you know how hard it was to be raised by two vampires? One of which who was always getting into fights and nearly dying every other day? And the other one who acted no differently than a nine year old? Do you know what it's like having to have tea parties with your mom because that was the only time she actually made any sense at all?" Buffy shook her head. "Then don't try to figure me out, because I still need to figure myself out!" Dawn threw herself onto the bed and began to cry.  
  
Before either Buffy or Dawn knew what happened, Buffy was sitting on the bed with her arms around the crying Dawn whispering words of comfort. Neither Buffy nor Dawn knew how it happened; all they knew was that it felt normal. Finally Dawn stopped crying and looked up at Buffy. "Sorry." She said softly.  
  
Buffy smiled softly at the girl. "It's okay. Sometimes we all need to cry." She disentangled herself from Dawn. "Willow and I need to go to the campus to register for classes, wanna come?" Buffy asked her. Dawn smiled back and nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, then get dressed and meet me down stairs in five minutes, okay." Dawn nodded again and Buffy walked towards the door and stopped. "Oh, and Dawn?"  
  
"Yeah?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Does your Dad know about Tommy?"  
  
Dawn shook her head. "No, he'd kill him, chip or no chip. To him, I'm still his little girl." Dawn paused for a minute and then looked up at Buffy with a fearful look in her eyes. "You're not gonna tell him, are you?"  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No, you can tell him when you're ready. But remember you can't be his little girl forever." Buffy said as she left Dawn's room and closed the door behind her.  
  
Dawn sighed and ran her hand through her brown hair. "I know, that's why I don't want to tell him."

* * *


	5. Poetry

**Karma: I'm back finally! No, aliens did not abduct me, finals just overwhelmed me, but I'm back now. Thank you for the reviews! I love them! They make me feel all special inside! Please keep reading and reviewing!**

* * *

Dawn followed Buffy and Willow as they searched for Willow's girl friend Tara. Dawn liked Tara. In Dawn's opinion, Tara was the only one who didn't treat Dawn like she was a little kid. Dawn stared at the college campus in awe. She had heard stories about it, but had never actually stepped foot on the campus.  
  
In her father's opinion the University was evil, so he had banned her from going near it. Spike had been afraid that if the Initiative learned about Dawn, they would experiment on the only known child of two vampires. He had only been lucky that Dawn had been with Clem when he had been captured.  
  
Dawn had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that they had reached a little bookstore across the street from the campus. Tara was standing just outside of it, waiting for them.  
  
"Hi, Dawnie." The blonde witch greeted.  
  
"Hey, Tara." Dawn said enveloping her in a hug.  
  
Tara smiled. "W-willow, I have to go t-talk to one of the c-counselors about something."  
  
Willow nodded. "Okay, I'll come with you, Sweetie." She looked at Buffy who nodded.  
  
"Go ahead, Willow. Dawn and I are fine." Buffy reassured her.  
  
The redhead nodded and left with her girlfriend. Buffy turned to face Dawn. _'This is going to be a long day.'_ Dawn however, was looking at the books that were in the window. "Do you want to go inside?" Buffy asked her.  
  
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, I want to show you something. Daddy's going to kill me, but eventually he'll understand." Buffy stared at the girl, somewhat confused. "Oh, come one." Dawn pulled the slayer straight to the poetry section at the back of the store. Immediately she began looking for a particular book.  
  
"Dawn, what are you looking for?" Buffy asked her trying to be helpful.  
  
The brunette ignored her. Suddenly, she smiled and pulled a book off of the shelf, and began flipping through it.  
  
"The Best Unknown Poets of the Nineteenth Century? What do you need to show me that's in this book?" Buffy asked confused.  
  
"This." Dawn said smiling as she found the page she was looking for. "Read this page."  
  
Buffy took the book out of Dawn's hand and began to read:

_ "My soul is wrapped in harsh repose,  
  
midnight descends in raven-colored clothes,  
  
but soft...behold!  
  
A sunlight beam  
  
cutting a swath of glimmering gleam.  
  
My heart expands,  
  
'tis grown a bulge in it,  
  
inspired by your beauty...  
  
effulgent." _

Buffy's voice caught in her throat as she finished reading it. "Oh my God, that was beautiful. Who wrote that?" Dawn smiled and pointed to a name at the top of the page. 'William Crawford.' "Your dad?" Buffy breathed.  
  
Dawn nodded. "Yeah, he wrote it for a woman he was in love with when he was human. Her name was Cecily, but when I was looking through a book at Giles' house, I read about a vengeance demon named Halfrek who went by the name Cecily in the late 1800's. But I never brought it up to my dad."  
  
Buffy nodded, still lost in the words of the poem. _'It's so beautiful. Who knew Spike could write like that? But it wasn't Spike though, it was William.'_ Buffy thought for a moment. "Does your dad still write poetry?"  
  
Dawn shook her head. "No, but he reads it though. Sometimes I'll catch him reading Romeo and Juliet, or a book of Shakespeare's sonnets. He's always loved Shakespeare. Mum once said it was the only human weakness he had. Then she said there were burning baby fish swimming around his head, so I'm not really sure what she meant."  
  
Buffy nodded slowly, and was about to ask Dawn another question when her cell phone rang. "Hello?"  
  
'Hello, luv.'  
  
Buffy smiled. "Hi, Spike. How did you get this number?"  
  
'Peaches gave it to me.'  
  
Buffy nodded. "Oh." She felt uncomfortable. Since the dream, she wasn't sure how to act around Spike. "So, why are you calling?"  
  
Spike laughed. 'Not in the mood for games today, eh Slayer?' He paused. 'I just wanted to see how Dawnie's doing.'  
  
Buffy nodded._ 'Of course. Why else would he be calling?'_ "She's fine, she's right here. Do you want to talk to her?"  
  
'Sure, Slayer, put her on.'  
  
"Dawnie." Buffy motioned to the girl. "Your dad's on the phone."  
  
Dawn smiled. "And why would he be calling you? How did he get your number?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Dawn, do you want to talk to him or not?"  
  
The girl quickly grabbed the phone. "Daddy?"  
  
'Hi, Bit.'  
  
"Are you in LA?"  
  
'Yeah, got in right before sunrise.'  
  
"Grandpa did know you were coming, right?" Dawn asked him. Spike had been known to just show up on Angel's step with out even telling him he was going to be in town.  
  
'Yes, Dawn, he knew I was coming. He called me to come to town.'  
  
Now Dawn was interested. "I didn't know that. What did he call about?"  
  
'Dawn.' Spike said frustrated. 'I'm not going to tell you.'  
  
"Dad, why do you insist on treating me like a little kid? I'm not one, you know." She said angrily.  
  
'Fine, Bit, do you really want to know why I'm in LA?'  
  
"Yes."  
  
'Your mum's in town.' He said quickly.  
  
"Mummy?" Dawn asked quietly.  
  
'Yeah, Bit, I'm looking for her.'  
  
"Are you going to stake her?" Dawn asked.  
  
'Dawn.' Spike started. Obviously this was a conversation they had had before.  
  
"Daddy, you aren't going to let her live after what she did to me, are you?" Dawn asked, fear evident in her voice.  
  
'Dawnie, let me settle on finding her first, alright.'  
  
Dawn nodded. "Okay, Daddy, just promise me you won't take her back."  
  
Spike froze. 'Dawn, I wasn't planning on it.'  
  
"I know, just promise me." She insisted.  
  
'I promise, luv. Baby, I gotta go.'  
  
"Okay, tell Grandpa and mum that I love them."  
  
Now Spike was confused. 'Baby, you just said-'  
  
"I know what I said about Mummy, that doesn't mean I don't love her."  
  
'Alright, Dawn, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?'  
  
Dawn nodded. "Okay, I love you."  
  
'Love you, too, Bit.' Dawn handed Buffy the dead phone.  
  
"Did you know why Daddy was in LA?" She asked her. Buffy nodded slowly. "He's not going to take her back, right?"  
  
Buffy looked at Dawn. That was the last thing she had ever expected Dawn to ask her. "I don't know, Dawn." She answered truthfully.  
  
Dawn nodded in understanding. "Um, did you still need to register for classes?" Buffy nodded, and they walked across the street to the campus.

* * *

An hour later, they met up with Willow and Tara. Willow was looking at the list of classes that Buffy had signed up for. "Poetry?" She looked at Buffy who shrugged.  
  
"I had some inspiration today." Buffy said, leaving out exactly whom her inspiration had been.  
  
Willow nodded, and they began to walk back to Buffy's house.

* * *

More soon, I hope... The more you reveiw, the more I write, so reveiw! 


	6. Spike

**Karma: I know I have some errors in the first chapter about how Spike acts around his daughter. But most of those are intentional because I can see Spike as the kind of father who doesn't want his little girl to grow up, so he still treats her like a little girl, most of the time. And addressing the parental situation again, as far as Spike and Dru know, Dru is the mother. And now, on with the story!**

* * *

Buffy Summers sat on her bed in the dark confines of her room. She sighed and lay down on the bed. It had been too long since she had seen him, and she was worried. He said he would be back within the week, and the week was up. He didn't sound like he would be back the next week either. She sighed again and closed her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, a bright light filled her room, and then disappeared. She opened her eyes and sat up. "Hello?" Buffy called out into the dark room. There was no response. She walked closer to the door. "Hello?" All of a sudden, Buffy found herself pushed up against a wall. She looked up at the cocky peroxide blonde before her.  
  
"Hello, love." He smirked at her.  
  
"Spike." She breathed. "You're back."  
  
"I told you I would be, love. Didn't I?"  
  
Buffy nodded. "But I didn't think you would come back."  
  
He smiled. "Love, I would always come back for you." With that, his mouth descended onto hers, kissing her breathlessly.  
  
"Spike." She said pulling away. "Need to breathe." He smiled at her and began to kiss her neck. "Don't stop. Please don't ever stop."  
  
"Wasn't planning on it, love."  
  
Suddenly, the dark room faded away and Buffy found herself in a small, but cozy house. She looked around the living room. Barbie dolls and My Little Pony dolls littered the floor. Buffy raised an eyebrow, as she looked around the room. "Dawn Crawford!" She called out.  
  
Within seconds, a little girl in pink overalls ran up to her. "Mummy! You're 'ome!" She called out in a thick accent. She leapt up into her mother's arms. "I've missed you!" Buffy smiled and curled a finger around her daughter's brown pigtails.  
  
"Honey, has Clem been dressing you again? You're in all pink." Buffy commented.  
  
Dawn smiled and jumped out of her mother's arms. She flashed Buffy a smile, showing off a missing tooth. "Clem says pink and pigtails are in fashion for six year olds."  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Dawnie?"  
  
The little girl nodded. "Clem says i' is."  
  
"And does Clem always speak the truth?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Always." Dawn said seriously.  
  
Buffy shook her head. "And where is your father?"  
  
Dawn smiled and ran to a small staircase. "Da!" She hollered. "Mummy's back!"  
  
Buffy laughed at her daughter's antics. Suddenly she felt strong arms wrap around her waist from behind. Quickly, she spun around to find a smirking Spike. "Don't do that!" She complained.  
  
He just laughed and kissed her. "I love you." Spike said smiling.  
  
"Ew. Do you 'ave ta do that? It's gross." Dawn complained.  
  
Spike shook his head and kissed Buffy again.

* * *

In LA, Spike woke up in a cold sweat. "Bloody 'ell!" He swore as he sat up. That was the fifth time he had had that dream since he had arrived in LA, and it was driving him insane. He didn't know what the dream meant, but he was afraid he had some idea of what it meant. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.  
  
Suddenly he was aware of ringing. He looked next to the bed, and saw his cell phone laying on the nightstand. "What?" He snapped answering it.  
  
'Hi, Da!' A perky voice greeted him.  
  
Spike smiled. "Hey, Dawnie. What time is it?"  
  
'It's three in the afternoon. Were you still sleeping?' Dawn sounded worried about waking her father.  
  
"I just woke up, love." Quickly he switched into father mode. "Are you okay, Dawn? Everything's all right in Sunnyhell, right?"  
  
Dawn sighed. 'Relax, Da. Everything's fine.'  
  
"Then why are you calling?" Spike asked suspiciously.  
  
'Can't I call me own da without wanting anything in return?' She asked innocently.  
  
"Dawn." He said sternly.  
  
She sighed. 'Fine. I was wondering when you were coming back. It's been a week already, and-'  
  
"The slayer is driving you mad already?" Spike asked smiling.  
  
Dawn sighed again. 'It's not that. It's just. She keeps blaming me for everything. I mean, Joyce is sick and-'  
  
Suddenly, Spike was worried again. "What do you mean she's sick? Is she going to be okay?"  
  
Again, Dawn sighed. 'The doctors don' know. She keeps getting these 'eadaches, but they don' know what's causing 'em.'  
  
"She'll be fine, pet. Joyce is a strong one." Spike reassured his daughter.  
  
'I know that. It's Buffy I'm worried about. She's worried about 'er mum and keeps taking everythin' out on me.' Dawn complained.  
  
"Well, I'll be 'ome soon, Bit." Spike told her. "I dun know how much more of me sire I can take anyways."  
  
'Ave you seen, mum, yet?' Dawn asked anxiously.  
  
Spike sighed. "No, love."  
  
'Oh,' Dawn said disappointed. Suddenly Spike was aware of yelling in the background. 'Opps, I woke 'er, up. I gotta go.'  
  
Spike was confused. "You woke who up? Joyce?"  
  
Dawn sighed. 'No, I woke up Buffy. She 'ad a late night last night and was sleeping.'  
  
Suddenly Spike's eyes widened. _'It 'as to be a coincidence.'_ He thought as he added up the fact that they were both asleep at the same time. He shook his head.  
  
'She 'asn't been sleeping well, because she's been 'aving these odd dreams.' Dawn said confirming Spike's worst suspicions. 'I gotta go, love you, Da.'  
  
" 'Ey, Dawn." Spike said stopping her from hanging up the phone.  
  
'Ya?'  
  
"Nice to see that you've gotten your accent back." Spike said sarcastically as he hung up the phone. Spike sighed and ran his hands through his hair. _'It has to be a coincidence. It's not possible to have the same dream as someone else, right?'_ He asked himself.  
  
He looked up as a knock sounded on at his door. "Yeah?" He asked.  
  
Angel stuck his head into Spike's room. "We've found Drusilla."

* * *

**Karma: Hee, hee. Don't hate me! I promise the next chapter will be up by Wednesday at the latest....**


	7. Drusilla

Silently, Angel watched as Spike chose his weapons. Angel liked to think that he knew Spike better than almost any one, living or not. And most of the time, Angel did know Spike better than any one. As much as he hated to say it, Dawn was good for Spike. But as he watched Spike suit up, he realized that Spike wasn't telling him something. He didn't know whom this quiet, stoic, troubled person was, but he knew it wasn't the Spike he loathed and loved at the same time.  
  
Spike sighed and turned to face Angel. "You sure you don't wanna come, Peaches?"  
  
Angel shook his head. "No, this is between you and Drusilla." Spike nodded and began to walk to the sewer entrance. "Spike!" Angel called after him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why are you going after Drusilla? You never told me." Angel asked hoping Spike would tell him.  
  
Spike sighed. "I'm going for revenge." With that, Spike left.

* * *

**Brazil 1999**  
  
Drusilla sat in the dark of the hotel room, listening to the stars. Suddenly, she leapt up and began to waltz around the room. "He's coming back to me. My Spikey is coming back to me." She smiled in happiness, and spun about the room. She stopped dancing as a door slammed shut. "My Sweet Sunlight?" She asked dreamily.  
  
"I'm here, Mum." Dawn replied as she entered the room.  
  
Drusilla smiled and floated up to Dawn. She pulled her daughter into a dreamy waltz. "Did they tell you? They screamed it to me. Did they tell you?" She asked excitedly.  
  
Dawn looked at her mother confused for a moment. "The stars told you something?"  
  
Drusilla nodded excitedly. "He's coming home, my Sweet Sunlight. Spikey is returning." She dropped her daughter's hands and began to spin around on her own.  
  
"Daddy's coming home?" Dawn asked breathlessly. He had left over a month ago, and Dawn wasn't sure why. She had a feeling it had something to do with the slayer, but she didn't know what it had to do with the slayer.  
  
Drusilla smiled. "Yes, and we shall have a party with streamers." She stopped dancing and looked at her daughter. Drusilla's eyes slitted dangerously and she looked at Dawn carefully. Her eyes filled with contempt and she stalked towards her daughter.  
  
"Mum? Are you okay?" Dawn asked nervously as she slowly backed up to the closed door. She knew something was very wrong. It may have been the fact that her mother's eyes flashed yellow when she looked at her.  
  
"You're air. The stars scream it to me. Nothing. Nothing." Her voice took on a dreamy quality, and she looked at her daughter in a new light. She smiled manically at Dawn. "But the stars say how I can fix it." Drusilla floated to a drawer and pulled out a small sword. "It shall end like a fairytale." She took the sheaf off and swung the sword around wildly. "They sing of the bright colors of your blood."  
  
"Mummy?" Dawn whimpered as she groped at the locked door.  
  
Drusilla stopped moving. To Dawn, it was as if her mother was talking to someone only she could see. Suddenly, Drusilla looked at her daughter again. "It is not yet the time for the colors to come out and play."  
  
"Mummy? What's going on?" Dawn asked as she noticed that her mother wasn't putting the sword away.  
  
Drusilla smiled wickedly as she swung the sword again. "I am going to teach you a lesson."  
  
**-End Flashback-**

* * *

**-LA Now-**  
  
Spike crashed through the glass window and into the large warehouse Drusilla had been spotted near. He was greeted by a large group of minions who simply dropped to their knees and bowed when they saw Spike. He rolled his eyes and waited for the head minion to come forward.  
  
Finally, a dark haired minion who could only be described as a mini-version of Wesley stepped forward. "Ah, Master Spike, I am Robert. Madame Drusilla has been expecting you and Miss Dawn for the past week."  
  
Spike simply growled and spat out, "Where is she?"  
  
Robert, fearing his unlife, pointed to a hallway. Spike growled again and stalked towards the given direction.

* * *

Dawn sighed as Buffy stormed into the guestroom. To Dawn, this room felt more like home than some of the past places she had lived in. It was as though she had always belonged in the Summers' household. Though Dawn and Buffy argued constantly, their bickering had become almost mother/daughterly. Almost being the key word.  
  
"God, knock much?" Dawn asked annoyed.  
  
"Who were you on the phone with?" Buffy asked accusingly. "Was it Tommy?"  
  
Dawn rolled her eyes. "No, I was talking to Da'."  
  
Suddenly, Buffy's entire demeanor changed. "Oh, what did he say?" She asked trying to sound nonchalant.  
  
Dawn laughed at Buffy's change in attitude. "No, he didn't say anything about you."  
  
"Dawn, I didn't ask-"  
  
The teen held up a hand to quiet Buffy. "I know, but you didn't have to. Eyes can tell a lot about a person." The paused for a moment as she tried to remember what she and Buffy had been talking about before. " Da' didn't say much. I think I woke him up."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened. "He hasn't been having any weird dreams lately, has he?"  
  
"No, he seemed anxious about something, but he didn't say anything about any weird dreams. Why?"  
  
"No reason." The slayer answered quickly.  
  
Too quickly in Dawn's opinion, but she didn't say anything about it. "So, what kind of dreams have you been having about me Da'?"  
  
Buffy immediately blushed. "I'm gonna go see how my mom is feeling." She said as she quickly left the room.  
  
Dawn smiled to herself. "Works every time." She was so caught up in her victory that she jumped when the phone rang. "Hello?" She asked.  
  
'Hello, little one.'  
  
"Grandpa, hi." Dawn responded. "And do you have to call me that." She added as an after thought.  
  
Angel laughed. 'Dawnie, I'm over two hundred years old. To me, you will always be my little one.'  
  
Dawn sighed dramatically. "Fine. Why are you calling?" 'He only calls when something is wrong.'  
  
Again, Angel laughed. "You are your father's daughter. Can't I just call to see how my grand daughter is doing?'  
  
Dawn's eyes widened as she thought of the only possible event that would cause Angel to call. "Da' found Mum, didn't he?"  
  
Angel sighed. 'Let me talk to your mom.' He paused. 'I mean, Buffy.' He paused again. 'Okay, that was weird.'  
  
"Ya." Dawn agreed, immediately dismissing the slip-up. "I'll go get 'er."  
  
'Good idea.' As Angel waited for Buffy to pick up the other line, he had only one truly coherent thought. _'Why did it sound so right to call Buffy Dawn's mother? I was there when Dawn was born. But why did it sound more convincing to call Buffy Dawn's mom than it was to call Drusilla Dawn's mom. It's not like Buffy and Spike had a secret affair and Dawn's their daughter or anything.'_ Before Angel could muse this idea any further, Buffy's voice came onto the phone.  
  
"Angel?" She asked confused.  
  
'He found her.'  
  
"He found her." Buffy repeated as she tried to hide the fear that washed over her as she heard those three words. "Well, what happened?"  
  
Angel sighed. 'That's just it. I don't know.'

* * *

Drusilla whimpered as Spike threw her to the ground. "My dear Spikey has returned to me, but he's all different now. The stars scream it. He's not my Spike or my William. He's all different." She paused and looked up at Spike who was hovering over her in full game face. "Who are you?" She asked him, very much confused at what Miss Edith was screaming to her.  
  
Spike growled. "A pissed off father, Dru, that's what I am."  
  
Even though Drusilla was insane, she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly why Spike was angry. She also knew the look in Spike's eyes. It was the same look he had when he drove railroad spikes through the heads of the idiots who tormented him when he was human.  
  
"Spikey." Drusilla began as she stood up. "The stars say you're upset, but- "  
  
"Upset isn't the right word, Dru! I've been looking for you for over two years now! You left the day I found out what you had done." Spike's eyes flashed dangerously.  
  
Drusilla decided to use a form of distraction she had found to be successful in the past, seduction. "Spikey." She began as she floated towards him. "We could be a family again, you, me and Dawnie. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"  
  
Suddenly Spike had a flashback of something he didn't even remember happening. A very different woman telling him the same thing.  
  
_"Spike." Buffy pleaded as she took the sleeping six-year old Dawn out of Spike's arms and into her own. "Stay. They won't care if we tell them the truth. They're bound to figure it out sooner or later. Please, stay." Tears streamed down her face as she lay Dawn down on a nearby couch. As soon as she was sure Dawn was comfortable, she turned around to face Spike again.  
  
"Love, don't cry." Spike pleaded as he wiped a tear off of Buffy's cheek.  
  
"How can I not cry, Spike. You're the love of my life! I can't live without you and neither can Dawn." She looked at him and began to plead desperately. "Stay, Spike. We could be a family again, you, me and Dawnie."  
  
Spike shook his head, and pulled Buffy into a passionate, needing kiss. When he pulled away, Buffy's eyes were still closed in ecstasy. Spike sighed, took one last look at the loves of his unlife, and silently disappeared. _  
  
Drusilla stared at Spike, whose eyes were closed in a vain attempt to make the vision real. On a sudden impulse, she decided to make a run for it. As soon as she took a step, Spike's hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck.  
  
"Spikey." She whimpered as she decided to try to play dumb again. "I don't know why you want to hurt your princess."  
  
Spike growled again. "Dru, do not stand there and try to tell me that you do not remember torturing our daughter for days and then chaining her to the wall. She still has the scars, Dru. And if you really thought that I wouldn't come back for you, you're crazier than I thought you were."  
  
Drusilla whimpered again. "Miss Edith says you're going to hurt me, and not in the good way."  
  
Spike smiled crazily as his eyes flashed black for the tiniest of milliseconds. "Drusilla, not even Miss Edith knows what I plan to do with you."

* * *

Three hours later, Angel sat impatiently in the lobby of the Hyperian. "Four hours ago. He left four hours ago. What in the hell is going on?" That's when Angel felt it. The small prick that signaled a severed connection with a childe. A bond which can only be broken through death. Only this time, Angel wasn't sure which bond had been broken. He hadn't been able to tell his connections with Spike and Drusilla apart since Drusilla had Dawn.  
  
_'Dawn'._ Now that was a different thought all together. Dawn's heart would be broken no matter who died. It was then that Spike entered the hotel, looking depressed and pensive.  
  
"Spike, what happened? What did you do?" Angel asked worriedly, as he jumped up from his seat and took a bloody sword out of Spike's hands.  
  
"What I had to do." Spike said grimly as he walked to the staircase.  
  
"Is she-" Angel stopped, and rephrased what he was going to say. "Did you stake her?"  
  
"Let's just say Dru won't be a problem any more." Spike deadpanned as he walked up the stairs.  
  
Angel stared after Spike, once again not recognizing his childe at all.

* * *

**Sorry this update is so late. But if you're looking at the positive side, it is longer...**


	8. Seeing

The day dawned, no pun intended, bright and clear. It was an important day for two reasons, 1) it was the grand opening of Giles' store, and 2) Spike was finally coming home. Dawn couldn't be happier. In Buffy's opinion, Dawn was sickenly happy as they walked to the Magic Box's grand opening.  
  
"Oh, come on, Buffy. Aren't you just a little happy?" Dawn asked the slayer. "I mean my dad's coming home. I thought you'd be just a little happier than you are right now. I feel like I'm walking with Grandpa Peaches."  
  
Buffy glared at the girl a moment before laughing. "I'm happy, Dawn, really I am, it's just that-"  
  
"That Grandpa called you last night and totally stressed you out because that's what Grandpa does, stresses you out." Dawn finished for her.  
  
"Who told you that?" Buffy asked curiously.  
  
"Dad." Dawn said shrugging.  
  
"He talks about me to you?" The slayer asked, very much surprised.  
  
"Oh, all the time, ever since he first met you. It used to be: 'She's the thorn in my bloody side, the gristle in my bloody teeth.' Now it's just like, 'the slayer thinks she can talk to me like that because I'm weak? She'll get what's coming to her when I get the sodding chip out.' I mean, that's why mom broke up with him..." Dawn looked carefully at Buffy. "Either way, he's always talking about you."  
  
Buffy stared at Dawn. She wasn't sure whether to laugh at her nearly perfect impression of her father or to start yelling at herself for the way she treated Spike in the past. She hadn't realized that she was so important in Spike's life. And she hadn't realized how important that had been to her until now. Buffy was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that they reached the Magic Box until Dawn walked inside the store, leaving her outside and alone.  
  
As Dawn slowly walked into the shop, she became aware of a pair of eyes watching her. She looked up and began to laugh at the sight in front of her. There Giles stood in a purple wizard's robe with a matching hat. "Bloody 'ell, Rupert." Dawn said in between laughs. "Or should I say Dumbledore?" Suddenly she sobered up and looked at Giles. "Rupert, it's blokes like you tha' give the British a ba' name." She said in an almost perfect impression of her father.  
  
Giles stared at Dawn. "Are you finished?" He asked curtly.  
  
Before Dawn could answer him, the door to the Magic Box swung open and Buffy walked inside. "Dawn, you can't say something like that and then leave and oh my God." Buffy rambled as she saw her ex-watcher. She looked behind her for a moment before she turned her attention back to Giles and raised an eyebrow. "Did I hit my head while I was out there?"  
  
The ex-watcher blushed. "Perhaps I should take this off?" He asked.  
  
Buffy nodded. "That might be a good idea."  
  
Giles nodded and took them off while Dawn laughed. Buffy turned her attention to the teenager. "Dawn, why don't you look around the shop for a bit and don't-"  
  
"Break anything. I know, I got that speech from Joyce earlier." Dawn finished for her.  
  
"Actually, I was going to tell you not to steal anything, but not breaking things works, too." Buffy responded.  
  
"And what makes you think I was going to steal something?" Dawn asked offended.  
  
"You're related to Spike." Buffy said coldly. "Now leave us alone, okay?"  
  
"Fine." Dawn responded angrily before stalking further into the shop.  
  
Buffy sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Great." She looked up at Giles. "Sorry." He looked expectantly at her. "Oh, yeah, the meeting." She fished through her pockets for a moment, and pulled out a white glowing orb. "I found this during patrol last night. Do you know what it is?"  
  
"May I?" Giles asked and Buffy nodded as the ex-watcher took the orb out of her hands. "I'm not sure what it is, but we can research it." He replied as he appraised the orb.  
  
"Dawn Crawford!" Buffy suddenly yelled. "I know you're not eavesdropping on us."  
  
The teenager in question quickly hurried further into the shop and pretended to be very interested in the amulets. 'Stupid slayer, thinks she knows everything. I can't wait for Daddy to come home. Then I'll only have to deal with Buffy during Scooby meetings.'  
  
She sighed and lazily searched through the amulets. Suddenly her eyes fell upon a gorgeous pink stone surrounded by purple stones. It hung on a thick silver chain. She pulled it off the shelf and looked at the paper tag. "Gem of Sight. Shows the wearer what was meant to be seen." She smiled and quickly stuffed the necklace into her pocket. "This definitely will show them that they're in love with each other." She smiled to herself and began to wander through the rest of the store, completely oblivious of the fact that now all of the Scoobies and Riley were in the shop. As she walked into the center of the shop she became aware of the fact that Riley was talking.  
  
"So, I was thinking that we could go out patrolling tonight at-" Riley stopped at the look of discomfort on Buffy's face. "What did I say something wrong?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"No, she just doesn't like it when you patrol with her. She says that she hates having to make sure you don't get hurt. She never has to worry about my da' when she patrols with him." Dawn told the ex-commando.  
  
"Dawn!" Buffy hissed embarrassed. "I am so sorry Riley, I'm sure she didn't mean-"  
  
"No," Riley said cutting her off. "She meant every word she said. She doesn't have any tact, I guess it's from being raised by vampires."  
  
"Is there something wrong with that?" Dawn asked angrily.  
  
"Yeah," Riley smirked. "It means you're less than human."  
  
"Enough!" Buffy yelled. "I think you need to leave, Riley."  
  
Riley looked around the room in shock. "You're not serious." He asked. Buffy simply glared at him, while Willow wrapped an arm around Dawn's shoulder. Giles took his glasses off and polished them. Anya was half- amused with the whole exchange. Xander simply shook his head. He didn't like Spike, but he had no problems against Dawn. None of them did. They all loved the girl despite of who her father was.  
  
The ex-commando, however, never could accept Dawn. "I don't believe this."  
  
"Get out." Buffy demanded angrily.  
  
"Buffy." Riley pleaded.  
  
"No, I am sick of you and your demon prejudice. Get out. And if I see you again, I might just try to slay you." Buffy told him.  
  
Riley's eyes went wide and he backed out of the shop. "You're making a mistake, a big mistake." With that he left the shop.  
  
"Come on, Dawn." Buffy said, breaking the silence. "Let's go home."  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
It was just after Buffy and Dawn returned to the Summers' household when all the trouble started. They had just walked through the front door when Buffy became aware of her mother lying on the couch in pain.  
  
"Mommy?" Buffy asked in a small voice.  
  
"Maybe we should take her to the hospital." Dawn suggested weakly.  
  
"No, I just need my prescription. The slip is in the kitchen, could you?" Joyce asked her daughter.  
  
Buffy nodded in understanding and ran into the kitchen to get her mom's prescription slip. While Buffy was in the kitchen, Dawn subtly slipped the amulet into Buffy's jacket, and sat back down. "Dawn, keep an eye on her for me." Buffy asked the teenager as she grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack, and slipped it on.  
  
"I will." Dawn promised.  
  
"You better." was all Buffy had to say before she hurried out of the house.  
  
"Everything is going to be fine." Dawn told Joyce soothingly as she made sure the older woman was comfortable on the couch. But even Dawn wasn't sure whom she was trying to convince, Joyce or herself.  
  
----------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Buffy hurried to the hospital, and was there in an inhumanly time. She was getting her mother's prescription from the hospital technician when Nurse Ben and two orderlies stopped near her as they tried to strap a crazed patient to the gurney they were wheeling him on.  
  
"Buffy, hi." Ben called out to her.  
  
The slayer looked at him for a moment. "Hi." She said slowly not really sure if she knew him or not.  
  
"Ben?" He reminded her. "I was the nurse at your mom's examination."  
  
"Oh yeah," Buffy said remembering. Suddenly she was distracted by the patient thrashing about on the gurney. Immediately, she realized that this was the security guard who had been at that warehouse when she found the orb.  
  
"They're coming for you!" The security guard screamed. "Through your family! It's always through your family."  
  
"We gotta get him strapped down." Ben said to the two male orderlies, who were struggling with the man. Sighing, Buffy lazily pinned the guard down with one arm, effortlessly holding him down in place. "Okay." Ben said shocked. "Now, strap him down." He informed the orderlies. "Wow," He said as he turned his attention back to Buffy. "You've got serious muscles for a girl."  
  
Buffy shrugged and let go of the man once he was strapped down. "I gotta go get these to my mom." Buffy said indicating the prescription bag, and before Ben could even register what she said, Buffy was walking down the hall.  
  
"Buffy, wait." Ben said as he caught up with her.  
  
"Yeah?" Buffy asked almost bored.  
  
"I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go out with me sometime?" Ben asked nervously.  
  
"Oh, Ben, I'm sorry, but I already have a boyfriend." Buffy told him apologetically.  
  
"Oh." Ben said softly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry, if I didn't have Spike and Dawn in my life..." She trailed off.  
  
"Dawn?" Ben asked curiously.  
  
"My daughter." Buffy responded almost automatically. When she realized what she said, her eyes went wide. "I, um, gotta go." With that, she pushed past Ben and practically ran down the hall. 'Where the hell did that come from?'  
  
When Buffy was nearly home, she put her hand in her coat pocket and pulled out the amulet. "What the hell is this?" She asked herself. "Amulet of Sight." She said as she read the label. Shrugging she put it on, not sure what it was, but wanting to find out.  
  
Dawn was in the kitchen making Joyce tea when Buffy came home. "Mom?" Buffy called.  
  
"She went upstairs to rest." Dawn said as she came out of the kitchen.  
  
Buffy's eyes went wide as she looked at Dawn. The half-vampire was flickering in and out of Buffy's vision. 'What the hell?' Buffy asked herself. 'She's not real?' Suddenly the security guard's words hit her. 'They're coming through your family. Isn't that what he said?' Before even Buffy knew what she was doing, she had Dawn pinned up against the wall, her hand around the teenager's neck.  
  
"Buffy?" Dawn whimpered, her mind flashing back to what her mom did to her.  
  
"What are you doing to my mom?" She angrily asked Dawn.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Dawn whimpered.  
  
Before Buffy could respond, she felt herself being thrown across the room. She looked up to see an angry vampire glaring at her. "Daddy!" Dawn cried, throwing herself into her father's arms.  
  
"I'm here, Bit, I'm here." Spike said soothingly. He glanced up from his distressed daughter to Buffy, who was getting up off the floor. "Go get your stuff, Dawn."  
  
Dawn nodded and literally ran up the stairs.  
  
"What in the hell did you think you were doing, Slayer?" Spike yelled.  
  
"I don't know." Buffy answered honestly, refusing to look at Spike.  
  
"I knew you weren't happy with this situation, but I trusted you with her!" Spike yelled. "This was so bloody low."  
  
"Spike, please, just don't. If you're going to kill me, than kill me. Just don't yell at me first." Buffy said.  
  
Spike looked carefully at the slayer. "I'm not going to kill you."  
  
"Because the other demons are right and you're weak?" Buffy quipped.  
  
Spike glared at her. "Why did you agree to watch Dawn?" He asked, ignoring her question.  
  
"Because I'm in love with you." Buffy practically shouted, surprising even herself. She hadn't even admitted her love to herself, and here she was shouting her love for Spike to Spike himself.  
  
Spike stared at her sadly. "You have a funny way of showing it." He finally said before meeting his daughter who was coming down the stairs.  
  
"So, that's it?" Buffy asked with tear-filled eyes. "I tell you that and you just walk away. You run because that's what you're good at!"  
  
"Go outside." Spike told Dawn, as he pushed his daughter into the dusk. "Is that really what you think?" Spike asked Buffy slowly.  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No, I think that chip finally got to you and you're weak. Not long ago, you would have killed me when you had the chance. And I know very well that you're so angry that you'd kill me and then think of the pain later. So why aren't you?" She asked him genuinely curious.  
  
"Buffy, you know bloody well why I'm not killing you." Spike said softly before leaving Buffy alone.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened and she slid down to the floor. 'Spike loves me and I fucked it up.' Buffy said as tears flooded down her face. 'What have I done?' 


	9. Joyce

**Karma: Hey, sorry, it's been a while. And this chappie's kinda short, but it's a feeder chapter of sorts. So, please keep reading and reviewing. :)  
  
**

* * *

Two days later, the atmosphere in the Magic Box was dismal, but half of the occupants weren't sure why. Dawn refused to speak to any one but her father. Spike was brooding. Giles could sense something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what. Willow was hurt that Dawn wasn't talking to her. Tara was getting an odd reading on both Spike's and Dawn's auras. Xander was being more suspicious of Spike than usual. Anya was unbothered by everything and was counting her money. And Buffy was MIA. It was then that Joyce stormed into the Magic Box.  
  
"Joyce, what are you doing here?" Giles asked, very much confused. "Where is Buffy?"  
  
Joyce, however, ignored Giles and marched straight up to Spike.  
  
"Hello, Joyce." Spike said uncertainly.  
  
"Don't give me that, William." Joyce spat as she grabbed him by his ear and dragged him to the back room.  
  
"Ow, ow, Bloody 'ell, woman! What did I do?"  
  
Joyce ignored Spike's comments and pleas and continued to drag him to the back room.  
  
Meanwhile, everyone else stood around the Magic Box in complete shock. Xander was the first one to speak. "Okay, what just happened here?"

* * *

As soon as they were in the back room, Joyce let go of Spike's ear and looked at him threateningly. "What did you do to my baby girl?" She demanded of the bleach blonde.  
  
"Excuse me?" He asked genuinely confused.  
  
"Don't give me that, William Crawford." Joyce sternly told him. "Buffy hasn't left her room in two days. She's not eating or sleeping. She just lays on her bed holding up this necklace Dawn gave her. Now, you were the last person she talked to. What in the hell did you say to her?"  
  
Spike just stared at Joyce. His mind was filled with overlapping, conflicting thoughts. Part of him was screaming: _'Buffy does love you.' _While the other half was screaming _'But so did Dru.' _For once in his unlife, he didn't have a comeback.  
  
"Well?" Joyce insisted.  
  
Spike ran a hand through his hair. "Joyce," He sighed. "It's a long story, one which I don't feel like talking about."  
  
"Why don't you start feeling like it before I find an ax and finish what I started three years ago. Do you remember what I told you?" Joyce asked threateningly.  
  
"You told me 'No one lays a hand on my little girl.'" Spike responded automatically. At Joyce's nod he continued. "But that's exactly what I was doing. Protecting my little bit."  
  
Joyce simply stared at him. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"When I came into your house last night, Buffy was holding Dawn up against the wall by her neck. I only did what any other parent would do."  
  
Joyce softened. "I'm sure Buffy had an explaina-"  
  
"I'll tell you what I told her, Joyce. I don't want any explanations! She's a slayer, I'm not supposed to-" He stopped mid-sentence, knowing very well that he was beginning to sound like William.  
  
"Fall in love with a slayer?" Joyce put in.  
  
Spike looked at her sheepishly. "Well, yeah. That was always Peaches' territory. I was the one who killed 'em, he was the one who shagged 'em." Joyce raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you know what I mean." Spike finished sheepishly.  
  
Joyce smiled. "I do, but why are you afraid of being in love with Buffy?"  
  
Spike blinked. "I'm not afraid." He stopped and looked at Joyce. "At least I'm not afraid for me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Dawn."  
  
Joyce nodded.  
  
"She's already had one abusive mother. I don't want to put her in that situation again. No matter what I feel. Dawn is more important to me than life itself." Spike admitted.  
  
"Spike, I-" Joyce began, but stopped when Spike shook his head.  
  
"Don't."  
  
"At least give her another chance. Please?" Joyce asked. "Just one last chance."

* * *

"Giles?" Buffy asked as she walked into the darkened magic shop. "You here? I thought you said you needed to talk to me."  
  
"The watcher lied." Spike said stepping out of the shadows.  
  
"Spike." Buffy said nervously as she took a step backwards. "What are you doing here? Where's Giles?"  
  
"He's not here."  
  
"Obviously." Buffy responded as annoyance replaced her nervousness. "But why am I here?"  
  
"I needed to talk to you."  
  
"I think we did enough talking the other night, don't you?" Buffy retorted.  
  
"Buffy." Spike started.  
  
"You said my name." Buffy said, shock clearly written on her face. "I, um, gotta go." She began as she walked back towards the door.  
  
"Buffy." Spike tried again.  
  
"I don't want to talk, Spike." She said as she left the shop.  
  
"Women!" Spike sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Bleeding women."

* * *

Riley Finn was a man on a mission. "If she thinks she can get rid of me that easily, she's got another thing coming." Riley promised as he stalked through the same warehouse that Buffy had found the glowing orb in.  
  
"Is that so, Sugar?" A woman in a red dress asked him as she stepped out of the shadows.  
  
"Who are you?" Riley asked, angry at the intrusion.  
  
"That isn't important. You're going to help me."  
  
"Who are you and why should I help you?" The ex-commando asked again.  
  
The woman sighed. "Call me Glory. And we have a lot of talking to do. And you don't have a choice in the matter."

* * *

"Mom?" Buffy called as she walked into her house. "You're never going to believe what Spike just tried." She continued as she walked up the stairs. Suddenly she was distracted by something on the couch. She turned around and her whole world shattered around her. "Mommy?"

* * *


	10. Sunday Mourning

**Disclaimers: I own nothing.**

* * *

Buffy blindly stood in the center of her living room, nearly oblivious to the flurry of activity around her. She was vaguely aware of paramedics and coroners bustling in and out of her house, but she wasn't aware enough to say anything to them. All she remember either pair of medics saying was 'she's dead' and 'you should call some one.' She didn't remember picking up the phone, but only minutes after the coroners left, Willow arrived. Buffy wasn't sure who called her, or why Willow was there. All Buffy's mind could process, was her mother's death and her fight earlier with Spike.

_'Spike.'_ Her brain called out to her._ 'Call him. He should know. He loved her too.'_

Before Buffy even knew what she was doing, she had picked up the phone and began dialing a number she didn't even remember learning. She waited impatiently until his soothing voice appeared on the other end of the line.

"I need you to come." Buffy said simply before hanging up the phone again.

"Buffy?" Willow asked her best friend, confusion written upon her face.

"He's coming." Buffy said distractedly. "He's coming."

Ten minutes later, a black Desoto pulled up in front of Buffy's house and she dashed outside, leaving a still confused Willow in the empty house.

"You came." Buffy said as she slid inside the car.

"You asked me to." Spike responded.

"Thank you." Buffy said as she threw herself into the arms of a very confused Spike and began to cry.

"Slay- Buffy, love, what happened?"

Buffy only buried her head further into Spike's shoulder.

"Buffy, are you going to tell me what happened?"

She shook her head 'no.'

"Do you want me to take you back inside to your mum?"

This only caused Buffy to cry harder.

"Love," Spike said as he gripped Buffy's shoulders and peeled her off of him so he could see her face. "You have to talk to me. Where do you want to go?"

"Home." Buffy said quietly.

"Love, you are home." Spike said somewhat confused.

"No, I'm not, Spike. Home is where you are."

* * *

_"Ten little soldiers all in a line. A shot rings out. Bang down to nine!" Dawn giggle as she knocked one of her Barbie dolls down. "Eight little soldiers-"_

_"Dawnie." Willow interjected as she walked into the little girl's room. "Have you seen your daddy?"_

_The six year old nodded. "Yup. What time ish it?"_

_Willow kneeled down next to Dawn. "Sweetie, where is your dad?"_

_"What time ish it?" Dawn repeated._

_Willow sighed knowing she wasn't going to win either way. "It's one fifteen."_

_"'e's still sleeping then." Dawn responded matter of factly as she went back to her Barbie dolls and 'killed' the eighth one. "Seven little-"_

_"Dawnie, how do you know where your father is by what time of day it is?" Willow asked intrigued._

_"'Cuz 'is soap ish on at two." She responded._

_"Thanks, Dawnie." Willow said as she shook her head and stood up. She took a deep breath before turning and knocking on Dawn's parents bedroom door._

_"That's not gonna wake 'im up!" Dawn shouted after the redhead._

_Willow sighed and walked into the bedroom. "Spike?" She called._

_Spike groggily opened his eyes and looked up at the witch. "Red? What are you doing here?"_

_She gulped._

_"Willow." He warned as he sat up._

_"It's Buffy."_

_Spike was fully awake now. "What about her?!"_

_"There was an accident." She said softly._

_"What kind of accydent?" Dawn asked as she walked into the room._

_"Is she?" Spike asked as he held his arms open for his daughter, who vaulted over the bed and into her father's open arms._

_"She's still alive." Willow said noting Spike's large sigh of relief._

_"Can we go see 'er?" Dawn asked as she wiggled further into her father's embrace._

_Willow nodded. "Yeah, she can't come home for a week though."_

_"That's okay." Dawn said. "Once me and Daddy is there she'll be home. When we're together, we're home."

* * *

Dawn Crawford shot up, and rubbed her eyes. __'Bloody hell, that's the third time I've had that dream this week. Now, I'm not a slayer, but that's gotta mean something. I'll have daddy talk to Rupert tonight.'_ She sighed, and rolled off of the trundle bed and onto her feet.

Janice groggily opened an eye and peered at her best friend. "You okay, Dawn?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah, but I got to go now. Da's expecting me." She said as she got dressed.

"Okay, I'll call you tonight? You never did tell me about your date with Tommy." Janice informed her.

"You were still out with Charlie when I got back." Dawn pointed out.

"Oh, yeah." Janice said, remembering. "Well, I'll talk to you tonight."

"Kay. Laters." Dawn said as she grabbed her bag and left Janice's room. She nodded a quick hello to Janice's mom before walking out of the house and into the sunlight.

As Dawn walked home, she began to make up the story she would tell her father. It was tradition for them. Nearly every Saturday, she'd say she was spending the night at Janice's and then they would go out on dates with their respective boyfriends. Afterwards Dawn would crash at Janice's house. The next morning she would come home at nine thirty, her dad would make her a cup of hot chocolate and they'd spend the day watching SoapNet. It was their Sunday tradition and Dawn loved it. Sundays was the only real day she got to spend any time with her dad. As far as Dawn was concerned, Sundays were the best day of the week. She only wished that her dad hadn't gotten her hooked on _Dark Shadows_ and _Passions._

Shaking her head, she unlocked the front door and walked into the apartment. She frowned at the darkness and silence that greeted her. "Dad?" She asked softly as she flipped a light on. She looked down at her watch. _'Okay, nine thirty, I'm on time. I'm not late or anything. He must still be sleeping. I mean technically day is sleeping time for dad but he hardly ever keeps night hours any more. Mummy always slept during the day, but Daddy liked spending time with me instead. Especially on Sundays. Mummy wasn't even allowed to join us on Sundays. It's always been our day.'_

She sighed as she opened the door to her father's room and walked inside. "Oh. My. God." She openly stared at the obliviously asleep couple on the bed. _'Okay. Daddy. Buffy. Naked. Bed. Not exactly the image I wanted to see first thing this morning or ever.'_

Not wanting to awaken the couple, Dawn quietly crept out of the room and closed the door behind her. _'Thank the gods they're both heavy sleepers.'_ She walked to the front door and opened it. "Here goes nothing." With that she slammed the door shut as hard as she could.

"Daddy! I'm home!" She shouted, knowing very well that they couldn't sleep through shouting. Well, she knew her father couldn't. He'd sense her and wake up immediately.

* * *

**Hey, sorry this chappie is so late and so short. The next chapter will explain a little more about what happened the night before. Hopefully, I'll have it up and posted soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing. Keep it up. Reviews inspire me to write. They give me a happy. )  
Karma**


	11. Daughters

**Disclaimers: I own nothing. **

Karma: Hey! Long time no see, right? Sorry, I've been sidetracked, but I haven't forgotten about this story. I even wrote an extra long chapter to all my loyal fans. Thank you for waiting even though it's been forever. Please keep reading and reviewing. It's your support that helps me to continue on with this story. I promise the next update will be much sooner.

* * *

"Dad?" Dawn called out as she entered the apartment for the second time that morning. "You up?"

As soon as he heard his daughter's voice, Spike bolted up into a sitting position, suddenly awake. "Bloody hell." He glanced briefly at the sleeping blonde next to him before getting out of the bed and pulling a pair of jeans on. "Yeah, Platelet, I'm up. I'll be right out." He called out to his daughter.

"Okay, take your time." Dawn replied in an all-knowing voice.

Spike frowned, but was easily distracted by a soft moan from the bed. "Spike?" Buffy asked, still half-asleep. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, luv, the Bit's just home, that's all. Go back to sleep." He told her before placing a soft kiss on her brow.

"Okay. Love you." She mumbled before falling asleep again.

"Love you too." Spike said with a sigh. He shook his head in a vain attempt to rid himself of all Buffy related thoughts. He needed a clear head to deal with his daughter. Spike pulled on one of his black shirts and took a deep unneeded breath before opening his bedroom door to find his daughter staring expectantly at him. "What?" He asked somewhat nervously as he closed the door behind him, doing his best to try to block Buffy from his daughter's view.

"What is she doing here?" Dawn demanded.

Spike's mouth opened in shock, and then closed again making him look very much like a fish. "What do you mean, Platelet?"

"I mean, what is Buffy doing in your bed? Naked." Dawn asked, somewhat annoyed with her dad. She didn't care if they were in love in dating. All she cared about right now was Buffy ruining the one day that was meant to be only for her and her father.

"Oh, that." Spike said before his daughter's words hit him. "Wait a moment, Nibblet, how did you know that Buffy was in my room?"

"I looked, and then pretended to come home again." Dawn said completely unashamed of her actions.

"Dawn!" Spike scolded.

"What? It's what Mum would have done." Dawn defended.

"Your mother also shoved a woman through a meat processor and then fed her to the minions."

"Yeah." Dawn said remembering. "That was cool in a gross kind of way."

Spike chuckled and looked at his daughter, no longer angry with her. "Hungry, Lamb?"

"Starving, actually." Dawn said as she sat down at the kitchen table and watched as her dad began to prepare her a blood omelet. "Um, Dad, you still didn't say why Buffy spent the night. I mean, that's what you did when "Mummy Harm" stayed over."

Spike shuddered. "Dawn, promise me that you'll never call her that again."

"Hey, that's what she told me to call her. After she throws a Versaci Barbie at your head, you tend to listen to her." Dawn told him.

"They make a Versaci Barbie?" Spike asked, bewildered.

"Yes, and stop trying to change the subject."

Spike sighed. "Fine." He put down the spatula and walked over to the table and sat down next to Dawn, taking her hands into his. "Dawnie, Joyce died last night."

"Wh-what?" Dawn asked shocked. "No, no." She slapped Spike's hands away. "She was going to take me to see _I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change_. She can't be dead. I mean, I saw her yesterday. She was alive. She can't be- Oh God. Did a vampire..." She asked, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"No, Platelet, she had a brain tumor." Spike said as he took his sobbing daughter into his arms.

"She was a better grandmother than Darla was."

"I know, Pidge, I know."

* * *

_"Much more than that I did it my waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Eight year old Dawn Summers Crawford sang. _

"Dawn Rose! I know you're not singing that horrible song." Joyce Summers called to her granddaughter.

"Of course not, Grandmummy." She lied.

"Come here, darling."

"No, Grandmum. I'm playing with my dolls." She said, lying once again.

"Dawn!" The grandmother repeated forcefully.

"Coming, Grandmummy!" Dawn called, practically running into the kitchen.

Joyce smiled when she saw her grandchild, but soon frowned when she saw a huge white stain on Dawn's black dress. "Dawn, what did you do to your dress?"

"I didn't do anything. Mum did it." Dawn told her grandmother.

Joyce perced her lips. "Dawnie that's impossible. You're mother is. I mean she's..." She trailed off. "Dawnie, why don't you go put your gray dress on."

The little girl nodded. "Okay, where are we going again?"

"Your father didn't tell you?" Joyce asked, shocked.

Dawn shook her head. "No. I kept asking, but he wasn't telling."

"It's a surprise then." Joyce said, furious at her son-in-law for not telling Dawn what was going on. "Go get dressed."

Dawn nodded and ran off to do as her grandmother said.

"William! Come out here now!" Joyce shouted, straightening out her own black dress.

"Yes, Joyce?" Spike asked as he walked into the kitchen dressed in a black suit, his platinum blonde hair now a dark brown color and completely ungelled.

Joyce wanted to tell him how nice he looked, but she was too mad at the moment. "William, how could you not tell your own daughter that she was going to her mother's funeral!" Joyce shouted.

As soon as the words came out of Joyce's mouth, Spike blushed. "Oh... I didn't know how to tell her, Joyce. I tried, really I did."

She sighed. "Just trying isn't good enough. Buffy's been gone for a week, William, and she isn't coming back. Where did you tell Dawnie Buffy was?"

"Visiting Peaches in LA." Spike said sheepishly.

"Don't call your father that." Joyce scolded, always the mother. "Now, march into your daughter's room and tell her what happened to her mother."

Spike sighed. "Yes, Joyce." He said kissing her on the cheek. "What would I do without you?"

"Well, for one thing you wouldn't have any one to try out your stalling techniques on. Now go."

"Why don't you tell her for me?" Spike asked.

"Go." Joyce repeated.

Spike sighed again, and silently left the kitchen, stopping outside his daughter's open bedroom, listening in to make sure his daughter was in there. What he heard made his blood run cold.

"Yeah, I don't know why Daddy is acting funny. Ever since you went to visit Grandpa, he's been funny. When are you coming back? ... What do you mean you're not coming back? Daddy needs you... I don't care if you're busing in LA, I need my mum here with me."

Spike shut his eyes briefly, letting a tear slide down his cheek. He sighed, wiped the tear away and walked into his daughter's room. "Dawnie, who are you talking to?"

As soon as her father walked into the room, Dawn straightened up and began to play with the hem of her gray dress. "Nothing." Dawn said.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Right, pet." He said sitting down on the small, pink bed. "What's the real story?"

"I'm talking to mummy." She said as though it was obvious.

Spike looked around the room. "Dawn, your mother isn't here."

"She's right there, silly." She said pointing to the window ledge.

"No, Dawn, no she's not. She died last week. There were still injuries from her accident that the doctors didn't know about." Spike said softly.

"Those were just headaches. They weren't anything important." Dawn argued.

"Dawn, your mother is dead!" Spike yelled losing patience.

Dawn stared at her father for a moment before tears began to freely fall down her face. "No." She said shaking her head. "No, she's, no."

Joyce, hearing Spike yell, came into the room. "Dawnie, what's wrong?" She asked, knowing what was wrong, but asking anyway.

Dawn immediately threw herself into her grandmother's arms. "Daddy's being bad and lying. He said that Mum was dead, but she's standing right there." She said in between sobs.

Joyce looked over at Spike who shrugged helplessly. "Come on, baby, let's go wait out in the car. We're going to a funeral." She said pulling away from Dawn, and taking her hand. "Are you coming, William?" She asked as she and Dawn began to leave the room.

"Yeah, Joyce, I'll be there in a sec."

She nodded and left the room.

Meanwhile, Spike stared at the spot Dawn had called her mother. He sat there for nearly fifteen minutes before even muttering a word. "I miss you, pet, I do. What am I going to do with out you?"

* * *

Buffy bolted awake in a cold sweat. She ran a hand through her sticky hair. The dream had been so vivid and real that it scared Buffy more deeply than any nightmare that she had ever had. "Oh my God." She reached for Spike, only to find that he wasn't in the bed any more. Suddenly having a Parker flashback, she jumped out of the bed and quickly pulled her pants on. Not seeing her blouse, she pulled on one of Spike's black t-shirts and practically ran out of the bedroom.

Spike, who was sitting on the couch watching _All My Children_ with Dawn, looked up and saw Buffy's panicked expression. He jumped up and ran over to Buffy, pulling her willing body into a loving embrace. "Shh, love. I'm here. I didn't go anywhere. I'm still here." He soothingly told her.

Buffy nodded and clung tighter to him.

Dawn watched her father and the slayer carefully. She really couldn't believe that he was serious about Buffy, but as she considered her father's history with women, she realized that it actually made sense. She knew that it wasn't polite to stare, but she couldn't help but stare at the couple.

Feeling Dawn's eyes on her, Buffy felt uncomfortable and detangled herself from Spike. " I should go. This is definitely a family thing and I'm ruining it."

As Dawn watched the exchange from her place on the couch, she couldn't help but notice the way her father's face fell when Buffy said that she should leave. Without thinking, Dawn opened her mouth and said, "But you are family."

Buffy smiled faintly at the teen's words and let a single tear fall down her cheek. She knew how much the teen loved her father, and she also knew how overprotective of him she was. The fact that Dawn was willing to share Spike with her touched a soft spot deep in her heart. "Thank you Dawnie, but I should go over to Giles to go over stuff for the... you know." She said referring to her mother's funeral.

Dawn nodded. "Okay, but how about I let you borrow one of my shirts so you don't have to go around in one of my dad's? I have a dark pink shirt that would totally go with your pants."

"That would be great, Dawnie." Buffy said.

The teen smiled and led Buffy into her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them. Realizing what had just happened, Spike groaned. "Bloody hell. If Nibblet pulls a Darla, I'm going to pour holy water into her orange juice." He said knowing very well that his daughter had a secret agenda. His daughter always had a secret agenda.

* * *

As soon as they were locked inside the room, Dawn spun around and glared at Buffy. "What are your intentions with my father?" She demanded.

"What?" Buffy asked, very much taken aback. She couldn't believe that Dawn had just asked hew what her intentions were. She felt like she was in an old sixties movie.

"You heard me. What are your intentions with my father?" Dawn asked, arms crossed with a scowl on her face.

Buffy stared at the teen for a moment before responding. "I'm really not sure, Dawnie." She admitted truthfully.

"Are you in love with him?" Dawn bluntly asked.

"I... Well... Of course... I mean... I really don't think you should be asking me... Yes. Yes I do." Buffy babbled.

Dawn stared hard at Buffy as if trying to decide whether or not the blonde was telling the truth. "You better love him. And if you hurt him in any way, I will make your life a living hell. Now, let's find you that shirt."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Buffy and Dawn came out of the bedroom. Dawn had a smug look on her face. Buffy had a confused one. Spike looked up from his soap opera and wanted to laugh at the look of confusion on Buffy's face. He got up and walked over to her. "You okay, love?"

"Yeah." Buffy said, nodding. "Thanks for the shirt, Dawnie. I should go now." She said before practically running towards the door. Spike followed her and grabbed her by the arm, effectively stopping her from opening the front door.

"Pet, what's wrong?" He asked, concern written all over his face.

She sighed and looked at him. "It's just that everything is happening so fast, and Dawn going all Darla/Drusilla-ish on me really isn't helping." Buffy admitted.

Spike slowly nodded and let go of her arm. "I'm sorry, pet."

She gently laid a hand on his cheek. "Don't be. It has nothing to do with you. You're the good part in everything go on around me." Buffy gently pressed her lips against Spike's and before he could even register what was going on, she had already pulled away. "I'll see you tonight at the Magic Box, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Dawnie and I will be there."

Buffy smiled in response and silently left the apartment. Spike sighed and leaned against the door.

"Did any one ever tell you that you're love's bitch?"

"Dawn Rose! That better have been my mind speaking and not you!"

* * *

As Buffy turned a corner to take a shortcut down an alley, she was nearly run over by a frantic monk running down the alley. Immediately she noticed the blood gushing from his side and stopped him. "Are you okay?"

"No, I must keep going. The soldier will find me." He looked up and heaved a relieved side when he realized whom he was talking to. "It's you."

Buffy looked at him. "Do I know you?"

"No." The monk said as he leaned up against a nearby chain link fence. "But I've been looking for you. You have to... the Key. You must protect the Key." He said before suddenly cough a blood filled cough.

She stared at him. "Key? What key?"

"Many more die if you don't keep it safe."

"How? What is it?" She asked beginning to become annoyed with the dying monk.

"The Key is energy. It's a portal. It opens the door..." He cryptically said.

"The Dagon Sphere?" Buffy asked remembering the strange glowing ball that she had had Giles research.

"No. For centuries it had no form at all. My brethren, its only keepers. Then the abomination found us. We had to hide the Key, gave it form, molded it flesh... made it human and sent it to you." He gasped out before going into another coughing fit.

Buffy stared at him in shock as she remembered the spell not even two days before. "Dawn..." She said shocked.

"She's the Key." The monk confirmed.

"You put that in my house? You gave her to Spike and Drusilla to take care of?" She said.

"We knew the vampires and the Slayer would protect..." He said.

"My memories... Spike's? Angel's?"

"We built them." The monk said gasping for air. "We took them from another life. Another world in which she was your daughter."

"The dreams." Buffy realized.

"Were memories from the other life. We mixed your essence with that of the two other vampires and the girl from the other world."

Buffy shook her head. "No, you couldn't do that. Undo it!" She demanded.

The monk started coughing heavily again. "You cannot abandon."

"I didn't ask for this! And I'm sure Spike didn't either! I don't even know... what is she?" Buffy asked, still not sure how her reaction should be.

"Human... now human. And helpless. Please... she's an innocent in this. She needs you. The soldier and the beast will be coming for her." He warned and begged.

"She's not his daughter?" She asked.

"She doesn't know that." The monk said with his last breath.

Buffy stared at the dead body for a moment before, coming out of her trance. She heard footsteps coming and quickly jumped up onto a nearby fire escape hoping that she would see whoever had been chasing the monk.

Riley hurried down the street, and looked for the monk. He groaned as he saw the dead body. "Great. He's dead. Glory's not going to like this. Not one bit." He sighed and left the alley again, not caring about the dead monk.

As soon as she was sure that he was gone, Buffy jumped down from her perch. "Riley?" She asked herself, shocked. "I gotta go find Giles." She said shaking her head. "What a weekend." With that, she ran down the alley and to her watchers, not even wanting to think about the fact that she would have to face both Spike and Dawn that evening.

* * *

**TBC**


End file.
